The invention relates to a hand-held bending tool for conduits, tubes, rods, and the like, including a bending matrix and a sliding shoe that during the bending process are movable relative to one another and each have groove-like recess means in which the tube that is to be bent is disposed, with the recess means of the bending matrix extending in a curved manner in conformity with the tube bending radium that is to be produced, and including at least one support for the tube.
Such hand-held bending tools serve for the bending of tubes, especially in the plumbing or sanitation field. With the known hand-held bending tool of the aforementioned type, the sliding shoe is pivotably mounted on a lever that is in turn pivotably mounted on a lever that is provided with the bending matrix. The support for the tube is secured to this lever that is provided with the bending matrix. To bend the tube, the lever with the sliding shoe is pivoted relative to the lever with the bending matrix, as a result of which the tube that is supported on the support is bent about the bending matrix. If the tubes are made of hard material, considerable bending forces have to be exerted. For this reason, the levers are relatively long in order to provide enough leverage to be able to apply adequate bending forces. Despite these long levers, it is still necessary to exert considerable force in order to bend the tube to the desired extent. Where the workpieces that are to be bent are made of hard material, or have large diameters, the bending forces that are required are so high that the hand-held bending tool must be clamped, for example in a vice, in order to be able to absorb the reaction forces or torque. Furthermore, due to the long levers this hand-held bending tool is bulky and cumbersome.
Bending machines are also known that, however, due to their great weight can no longer be carried by hand, but rather must be embodied as a stationary device. For this reason, it is impossible or at least difficult to use this known machine for bending tubes on location.
It is an object of the present invention to embody a hand-held bending tool of the aforementioned general type in such a way that it is compact and manageable, and that does not require the user to exert any great forces for the bending process.